I think C still slept in the car pretty well at that age. We just stopped at bottle times for a pants change/feed and kept on going. I would occasionally give her toys, but she wasn't really into anything long enough for it to matter. I don't remember the cartoons working with her until she was older, but could be worth a shot.
I would make sure you have some foods to snack on for her. And a shade for the window to keep excess sun out. Dress her very lightly and keep a blanket and lovey with you.
I haven't done a road trip with a baby her age (obviously), but when Ingrid was 2 months old, we did a 10-11 hr drive. She was just getting into toys and I sat in the back with her. I think sitting back with her while she is being fussy is really helpful because you can obviously distract her. I pumped while we drove and then we fed her bottles in the car and stopped to change diapers/walk around in the fresh air with her. That definitely saved the time it would take to stop to nurse her safely.
we drive 12 hours to my parents' house twice a year - both kids have been doing it since they were 2-3 months old. the first year is the easiest. ages 2-3 sucks. then it starts to get easier again once he or she is fully potty trained.
for the first trip with each, we would stop overnight - that's almost worse than just powering through! then you have to pack for your destination, but also mini-pack for your pit stop. ugh. not worth it to me!
also - i would advise to break the speed limit. a lot. no one wants to be in that car. make it go FAST!
I had bags of toys, books, snacks and bottles close by. When she's done with one thing, hand her another.
Sitting the dog back here helps too. Bring a dog
Good luck!!!
Oh God, she would LOVE if we brought the dog. But he's a piece of work, it would 100% not be worth it for my sanity.
The first time she did a road trip with the dog she laughed for the first half hour. And then every time the dog sat up or laid down. Poor dog was "wtf is wrong with the little person?"
(1) Does she like puffs or yogurt melts? Or does she have some other favorite snack? Bring lots of said favorite snack(s).
(2) I am not above putting on an overnight diaper for a longer, drier period before having to change diapers, provided the baby is not prone to diaper rash.
(3) Rockabye Baby albums. They calm my baby like no other.
we drive 12 hours to my parents' house twice a year - both kids have been doing it since they were 2-3 months old. the first year is the easiest. ages 2-3 sucks. then it starts to get easier again once he or she is fully potty trained.
for the first trip with each, we would stop overnight - that's almost worse than just powering through! then you have to pack for your destination, but also mini-pack for your pit stop. ugh. not worth it to me!
also - i would advise to break the speed limit. a lot. no one wants to be in that car. make it go FAST!
I just wanted to second that stopping really was way worse for us. We did a ten hour trip at 8 months and then 1 year. The first time we broke it up and the second time we said screw it and just drove. We didn't stop more but the one stop we made was longer so that DS could get out and stretch his legs. Also, I know you said driving overnight isn't an option but can you leave really early? We have found leaving around 3:30 am or so is ideal. By the time DS wakes up almost half the trip is over.
We did a 12 hour trip when DD was about that age and she would babble to herself and quite honestly slept a lot. We did stop to change diapers and to eat. But we pretty much just plowed through. If you have an iPad available I would put some of the Fisher-Price apps on it. They are interactive and you could do them with her for short periods.
We did 7 hours when Dd1 was 8 months. We brought a bunch of puffs and I got a new toy for her and had the ipad ready with a movie. I planned like crazy, and stressed about it for weeks...she slept the entire time. I think just having a good amount of options to distract her if she does get fussy should work.
Post by noodleskooze on May 26, 2015 17:19:24 GMT -5
Don't do it in really bad weather
But really, we did a long drive when Leo was 11 months, we just split it into parts because we could (12 hours, stayed in one place for a few nights, then 8 hours). It really wasn't bad...he didn't nap in the car like we expected him to, but my sisters we in the back with him and I suspect he was too entertained to fall asleep even when they were quiet.
(1) Does she like puffs or yogurt melts? Or does she have some other favorite snack? Bring lots of said favorite snack(s).
(2) I am not above putting on an overnight diaper for a longer, drier period before having to change diapers, provided the baby is not prone to diaper rash.
(3) Rockabye Baby albums. They calm my baby like no other.
1) she's medium on puffs, and I've never tried the yogurt things. I'll grab some!
2) my only objection to this is my H thinking it's okay all the time if it's okay when we're in the car. :/ But she is not prone to rashes, so I'll definitely push it a bit longer.
3) awesome. I have a Kanye and a Journey in my car right now that we borrowed from someone and have never listened to. And if those don't do it, we have the ol' standby of Dock of the Bay on infinite repeat.
My faves are Weezer, The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins, The Smiths, Green Day, Depeche Mode, Flaming Lips, Jay-Z, No Doubt, and Madonna.
We also have the Kanye and the Journey ones.
And the Good Baby Bad Baby Compilation, Good Day Goodnight Compilation, Aerosmith, The Beatles, Bon Jovi, Coldplay, Guns N Roses, and The Police.
Post by muppetinma on May 26, 2015 18:58:55 GMT -5
When we did drives at that age, I brought a picnic blanket with us. When we stopped at rest stops to change diapers, give bottles, etc, we'd find a spot to put down the blanket and let Andrew roll around and stretch. We'd only spend 10-15 minutes there, but it gave everybody a chance to just get out of the car for a few. Then, when we stopped at gas station for fuel and snacks, we could stay in the car and make it quick. Nobody wants to change diapers in gross gas station bathrooms. (I mean, rest stop ones aren't nice either, but better in comparison. I think we usually just changed him on the blanket anyway.)
We did this last year for thanksgiving. It wasn't too bad.
I brought quite a few small toys and books so I could keep things interesting and rotate as he got bored.
I also packed a several ziplock baggies with a disposie changing pad, 2 diapers, a small container of wipes and a disposable Baggie for the dirty. That way, when we stopped for a diaper change, I only had to pull the Baggie out and take it with me rather than the full diaper bag and I didn't have to go searching through the bag for stuff.
I also kept other small things in bags, labeled, like pacifiers, so that I could easily find stuff and just pull out what I needed.
Sitting in back definitely helped.
I think I would have a cartoon or two also ready. You may not need it (we didn't) but felt it was better safe than sorry.
When we did drives at that age, I brought a picnic blanket with us. When we stopped at rest stops to change diapers, give bottles, etc, we'd find a spot to put down the blanket and let Andrew roll around and stretch. We'd only spend 10-15 minutes there, but it gave everybody a chance to just get out of the car for a few. Then, when we stopped at gas station for fuel and snacks, we could stay in the car and make it quick. Nobody wants to change diapers in gross gas station bathrooms. (I mean, rest stop ones aren't nice either, but better in comparison. I think we usually just changed him on the blanket anyway.)
We do this, too. We've been taking our kids on 2-3 road trips a year for the last 6+ years and we always stop at rest stops for breaks.
We also packed a picnic blanket & made a separate gas/food stop. We fed the baby at the rest area & fed ourselves later. (Typically we'd stop at a food/gas combo place & I'd run in and get food while my H got gas.)
We planned to leave right after a meal. That gave us the longest stretch before we had to stop & change diapers. It was also when they were most likely to nap. Getting that first couple of hours under our belt with everyone happy helped us get through the last few hours when we were all ready to be done.
I packed a bag or basket of toys, but only give one at a time (& don't show the other toys). Play with that toy until he's bored and then Switch. There were a few 5-6 hour trips when we'd only go through one or two toys! (& DS1 never played with anything longer than 5 minutes any other time!). My biggest tip is to start with a toy that baby likes, but save the favorites until everything else is old news. If you start with the favorites, you've got nothing exciting if baby gets cranky.
In 4.5 years of long road trips with kids, I've only sat in the back twice, with a combined total of 1 hour. The kids do well in the back & my H and I are able to enjoy some great conversations. Toys, books, and songs, and they're good to go! I always have the iPad ready as a last resort, but haven't needed to use it...yet!
Buy a Sippy Pal. It looks like they've been discontinued, but still available on Amazon. The were usually cheaper at Kohl's. They're my favorite baby thing! Hook it to the car seat strap and then tighten it around a sippy cup, toy, etc. no more reaching back to rescue the cup for the thousandth time!
Definitely get a few new little toys. Something that lights up/talks/sing/has buttons. And ditto snacks.
I ordered one of those Vtech cell phones the other day, and when it came I was like "Aw man, it needs AAA batteries and we don't have any!" Turns out they're in there and I just missed the very prominent on/off switch on the top. Ha. I'll save this and maybe grab a few other things. I think she'd like one of those Jellycat Tails books a lot.
PRESS THE NUMBER BUUUUUUTTONS TO CALL YOOOUR FRIIIIENDS A B C D E F 6 6 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 YOU CALLED ARF ARF THE DOG RED RED GREEN HI IT'S CAT CALL ME BACK
We decided to leave tomorrow at about 2pm and just drive through. He usually goes to sleep around 6:30, so I'm hoping that stays the same. I can keep him occupied for a few hours without too much trouble, I think. Pray.
Post by floridakat on May 26, 2015 22:17:21 GMT -5
I'm jealous of all these anecdotes. My girls just screamed their faces off every time we put them in the car until we flipped their seats at 22 months. I found things like empty water bottles were more entertaining than anything I ever bought for them. I rode in back with them for years, lol.